“The fact that
online marketing is all the rage does not mean that events and trade
shows, or print and electronic media should be ignored In fact, all
marketing and PR strategies should be synergistic.”
– Kristin Gabriel
Client: American Veteran
Awards Show
Challenge: For more than
seven years, MarCom was retained by the American Veteran Awards (AVA)
show hosted at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.
honoring our past, present, and future military soldiers, sailors,
airmen, marines and coastguardsmen. Uniting Hollywood with America's
military leaders every year, Veteran of the Year
awards went to Hollywood favorites including: Tim Conway, Ernst
Borgnine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Franz, Kris Kristofferson and Cliff
Robertson.
Solution: MarCom was
responsible for supervising strategic and tactical marketing, PR and
event coordination for the shows, from writing all press materials, to
media relations, to event planning and production, photography
coordination and follow up services including BETA video/script and
sound bites. We completed the 9th annual American Veteran Awards in
2004, and then the show was retired. The last show premiered on The
History Channel and later on American Forces Network.
Results: Los
Angeles Times, LA Daily News (front page), and Daily Variety
(Army Archerd column), plus event coverage including EXTRA, Access
Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Entertainment Hollywood, TE-TV German
Television, TVE-Television of Spain, KCBS-TV, KABC-TV, CNN, KCAL-TV,
KTTV, KTLA, KCOP-TV KMEX, and KABC and KNX radio,
not to mention the military magazines.
Client: Applied DNA
Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN)
Challenge: MarCom was
retained at the start up phase of Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., a
provider of patented DNA-based technologies to prevent and identify
counterfeit and fraud. It is one of a very limited number of
companies worldwide to pioneer DNA biotechnology applied to
anti-counterfeit and fraud prevention services.
Solution: MarCom provided
strategic PR and IR PR counsel, developed all press materials including
corporate communications documents, numerous press releases, collateral
materials, and investor (IR) and sales kits. We managed
strategies, tactics and implementation of marketing activities and
trades shows, managing the design and printing of all materials.
Results: In less than six
months, MarCom garnered vertical trade and business articles in over 60
vertical trade and business publications including Business Week,
the LA Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Within two
years, we had branded the company, it went public and its stock
valuation went from $2.50 to $3.50 per share between Feb. and Nov.
2003. After entering the next phase of its business cycle, moved
back east where their lab was instituted, and the company is now
focusing on product performance and growth.
Client: Avenues of Art &
Design
Challenge: Attendance
had been down for this prestigious local event in West Hollywood, and
little press had been garnered at prior events for the venue
representing more than 300 retailers.
Solution: MarCom
Associates strategized with the Avenues of Art & Design to
encourage trade, press and targeted consumer attendance. We developed
an event press conference and handled all media relations
affiliated with the event. Our objectives were to:
• Create trade/local media and
consumer awareness of Avenues of Art & Design.
• Instigate pre-press coverage
in the major trade and local consumer press.
• Insure attendance of the media
at all press related functions.
Results: MarCom obtained
a full one-page feature in the Los Angeles Times plus other
media coverage prior to the event, thus pushing attendance. The results
from our efforts drove attendance up from 10 to 15 customers per store
the night of the event from the year prior, to 300 customers per store
in 2002. The event was a huge success.
Client: iolo technologies,
LLC
Challenge: MarCom
was retained to manage all of the company’s public relations efforts to
launch new versions of the company’s award winning software products,
System Mechanic, and Search and Recover.
Solution: The scope of
services for iolo included strategy, writing communications/press
materials, product launches, media relations and trade show/conference
initiatives as needed by the marketing, channel marketing and corporate
divisions. Launch events included the prestigious Showstoppers
media events surrounding new products.
Results: In less than six
months, MarCom successfully positioned iolo technologies as a leading
provider of Windows-based utility software for home, business, and
enterprise-level PCs. We garnered over $1.2 million worth of media
exposure the first year by obtaining articles and product reviews in
almost every technology trade and consumer magazine. The company’s
revenues increased substantially over the next two years of service,
until the company opted to manage PR in-house.
Client: LA Architect
Magazine’s Downtown L.A.: Where Design Hits the Road
Challenge: LA
Architect, the magazine serving the Southern California design
community, needed strategic event planning and public relations for the
first annual Design Walk, Downtown L.A.: Where Design Hits the Road, a
public event that took place in May 2002. Initially the magazine
simply wanted to host a block party on Traction Avenue in downtown LA
for the design community and to focus attention on the major
revitalization underway in downtown Los Angeles to preserve and
resurrect the grandeur of the city’s legendary architecture.
Solution: Once on board,
MarCom’s strategy evolved into a much bigger marketable event for the
public. Guided bus tours sponsored by Historic Consultants, made a loop
of the historic core of downtown with docents on-board highlighting new
loft projects, historic landmarks. The DWP donated the electric buses
and hosted a discussion on solar power. The daylong event ended
with a gala VIP cocktail party and silent auction at SciArc for
sponsors, industry professionals and celebrities. Funds raised
benefited Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles-based meal delivery program
for people with AIDS.
Results: MarCom garnered
extensive press coverage prior to the event and a big return on
investment for the publication and its sponsors. The daylong event drew
nearly 3,000 visitors to downtown Los Angeles. Media placements
appeared in three articles in the Los Angeles Times including:
Kathy Bryant’s Design Notes column, Best Bets Calendar
section (5/16/02); and in the California section. Downtown
News ran two articles on the event; KNX, KPCC and World
News Radio aired segments, while the Associated Press and KCBS-TV
and KABC-TV covered the
event, not to mention online media exposure.
Client: Panda U.S.
Challenge: During a
six-week consultancy project MarCom was brought in to work with the
marketing team for the US branch of this Spanish anti-virus software
company for future expansion. The first problem that many growing,
self-funded companies face is how to upgrade sales, marketing and
operations practices to meet the incredibly tough US national market -
which is a global market in disguise. The second challenge was how to
get noticed in the vast antivirus market. Panda had discovered that
when people tried out Panda antivirus, they found viruses on
already-protected machines, putting their existing vendor instantly in
doubt. So the main focus was to get Panda’s software in the hands of IT
managers at home, get them to try it, and then consider Panda at work.
Solution: The scope of
work entailed researching, strategizing and writing email letters and
online ads and targeted at small business/home office professionals,
small to medium sized businesses, larger enterprise IT professionals,
and consumers. We implemented interactive marketing campaigns with
focus to the four vertical audiences and deployed to multiple opt in
lists of over 50,000, which were measured weekly against lead
generation and revenues.
